Columns

GeerHeadby David GeerGetting A Grip: Fingerless Robot Hand Grabs, Carries, Pours, and Writes
What can you do with a latex balloon, some coffee grounds, and suction? You can create a universal jamming robotic gripper hand that can pick up anything.

Twin Tweaksby Bryce Woolley, Evan WoolleyCirque Du Robot
This month, we have the opportunity to demonstrate both – an expandable platform with the LEGO NXT kit, and a multitalented sensor with the SmartSensor Lite from CATCAN Creative, Inc.

Then and Nowby Tom CarrollRobot Hands
Over the years, I’ve discussed all sorts of robot manipulators and arms, but most of these have been related to industrial applications.

I recently got back from COMBOTS 5 where I was the arena wrangler. Basically, my job was to provide safety and also train several new wranglers in the procedures used in running an event. A wrangler’s job is not an easy one.

Editor’s note: One thing the general public might not know about combat bot-ka-teers is they have a terrific sense of humor. The nature of the sport also makes them very “accountable.” In this episode of “Kids, please don’t gamble,” Bradley learns an important life lesson!

Mind/Iron

Eventually, someone is going to download some part of a human’s cerebral cortex into synthetic memory. That’s when it gets tricky. As dozens of science fiction authors have detailed, there are issues of rights, of enslavement, and no death to escape it all. Granted, there will be all sorts of social and political issues. For now, let’s look at what could possibly go wrong on the technological front.